The Barbie & The Rattlesnake
by KatelynnBB
Summary: Steve can't help but feel drawn to the blonde beauty, after he hand picks her to escort him to the stage during his Hall of Fame induction. He defends her from a would-be stalker, and takes her out to dinner...what happens next?
1. Chapter 1

_**FACT:**__ When asked on Twitter who his favorite Diva was, Stone Cold Steve Austin replied._

_"Kelly Kelly's my fav Diva. Super nice young lady. Keeps improving in the ring. Very easy on the eyes."_

_Sooo...out of that knowledge, and the fact that she was chosen to escort him to the stage during his HOF induction in 2009...comes this little story :) ENJOY!_

_**NOTE:**__ Please don't turn this into a debate as to who is the best WWE Diva._

**Chapter 1**

He was standing backstage. He was nervous, or as nervous as the Texas Rattlesnake gets. He was last to go on, the main event of sorts for the Hall of Fame. He was sipping a beer and making small talk with some of the presenters and other inductees.

He saw where the "Diva's" had congregated over in the corner. As a tradition the Diva's always escorted the male inductees out to the stage. He knew Barbie aka "Kelly" would be escorting him. He wasn't really embarassed to admit that he had hand picked her for the job.

She was pretty, but then again there was never a shortage of pretty women around this place.

He saw her leaning against the wall and adjusting her dress. She looked excited, but tired. He started to make his way over to her when someone else unknowingly cut him off. He recognoized the face, but couldn't bring to mind a name.

He stopped where he was and watched their exchange. The man, Drew, was his name he remembered now, was standing in front of her. Steve could still see her face. Drew used his index finger to trail down her cheek and Barbie pushed his hand away.

She rolled her eyes at him, and Steve saw Drew grip her shoulders and shake her.

"Stop Drew!" she said a little louder than she'd intended.

Steve had seen enough. It was his big night and he didn't feel like getting into any fights, but he didn't want some idiot upsetting Barbie right before they went on stage together. He sat his beer down, squared his shoulders and walked around Drew to stand by Barbie's side.

He slinked a muscled arm around her waist and pulled her to him, much to her surprise.

"Kelly, we need to talk." Drew brazenly glared at Steve, "Privately."

"Drew, I don't want to talk to you anymore, and besides I'm about to go on stage. Just please leave." she told him.

"Kelly-" he began but Steve cut him off.

"Listen kid, she said she don't wanna talk to ya. Usually that's the guy's cue to beat it." Steve said.

Drew stood there for a minute like he might argue, like he might even throw a punch at Steve, but he thought better of it and walked away.

"We aren't finished." he told Barbie before he left.

Once he was out of sight she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Steve removed his arm from her wiast, leaving her feeling cold.

"Thanks." she offered him a weak smile.

"Don't mention it. Who was that douche?" he asked.

"Drew McIntyre, he's sort of obsessed with me." she said flatly.

Just then, someone walked up to them. "Thirty seconds, Mr. Austin." he informed them.

"Well," he looked at Barbie, "You ready?" he offered her his arm, and she took it with pleasure. She knew that she had been specially chosen to escort the headliner of the event to the stage, but she didn't know why.

Several weeks ago, she'd been told she would be paired with Stone Cold. She wondered why she had been chosen, but never asked.

They were getting ready to walk out to the stage, the heard his music hit, and plastered a huge and genuine smile on her face.

With one last glance down at the blonde beauty on his arm they walked out on to the stage and greeted the crowd.

_**THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the follows and favorites! :) _

_Feel free to leave a review :)_

**As always I don't own anything you recogonize in this story.**

**Chapter 2**

Steve's speech was emotional, but he delivered it with authority. Barbie stood behind him the whole time smiling. At the end he did his signature beer chug, and then they released the confetti. It turned into one big party honoring the Texas Rattlesnake and an event coordinator ushered Barbie off the stage.

She was standing, talking to Eve backstage when she saw Drew out of the corner of her eye. She had no idea how he kept getting backstage. Only authorized people were allowed backstage at this event. One of the other Divas called Eve's name and she went over to see what they wanted.

Drew made his way over to Barbie and she backed against the wall and tried to ignore him. He stopped with his face only inches from her's.

"Kelly, please just listen. I'm sorry...you know I lose my temper. I can't control it. You know I would never hurt you, don't you?"

"Drew, you're pathetic."

This made his anger boil over. He glanced around them to see if anyone was watching, and he drew back his hand, but before he could bring his fist down to Barbie's face his arm was caught.

Barbie gasped as she noticed just who's hand was wrapped around Drew's arm.

"Thought I told you to beat it?" Steve said.

"Since when do I listen to _you_?" Drew spat as he tugged his arm free from Steve's grasp.

Steve didn't answer, instead he took Barbie by the hand and started to walk away. Drew grabbed her arm and stopped them. Steve was trying to avoid hitting anyone tonight, but he knew now that he really didn't have a choice.

Barbie tried to break free, but Drew's grip only tightened. Steve balled up his fist and slammed it into Drew's jaw causing him to let go of Barbie and stumble backwards.

Drew walked away in shame and Steve tugged Barbie along after him. He walked her to get her purse and escorted her to the parking lot.

"Did you drive here tonight?" he asked.

"No, actually I rode with Eve..."

"Well, I was wondering...could I take you to dinner?"

Barbie wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"Dinner?" she asked.

"Well, only if you want to."

She shook her head, "Okay, that sounds great, but should I change?" She looked down at her pink formal gown.

"No need." he held up his hand, "Lets go somewhere nice."

She smiled at him, and Steve wasn't sure if his heart skipped a beat or went into overdrive.

Once they arrived at the restaurant and were seated Barbie looked around. The place was very nice.

"I never imagined Stone Cold as a guy who liked swanky places like this." she admitted to him quietly.

"Well typically I don't, but I'm already wearing the monkey suit." he shrugged and she laughed.

Her smile lit up the room.

They ordered their food, and Steve was surprised how well the conversation was flowing with her.

When the waiter came to gather their plates he asked her, "So tell me what the full story is with this kid I had to whoop up on earlier."

She sighed. "Drew likes me. He thinks he's in love with me. He's been trying for months to get me to go out with him, and in the beginning I thought he was sweet. So, I gave him a little attention because I was trying to be nice. Then he started picking fights with any guys I even talked to...he's nuts!" she explained.

"A few days ago I told him to leave me alone for good or I was going to tell Vince and he could lose his job. He didn't get the message as you can tell."

She adjusted the strap of her dress and his eyes were drawn to her shoulders, and then his gaze subtly dipped lower before returning to her face.

When they were finished she folded her small hands neatly in her lap as he paid the tab and they left. He opened the door of his truck for her and helped her climb up inside. He made sure the end of her dress was tucked neatly inside, and his hand accidently brushed against her leg in the process.

The quick contact sent shivers up Barbie's spine. Was she attracted to Steve Austin? This was insane! Was he attracted to her? He had just took her to dinner...so maybe he was? Her head was spinning and her heart was beating hard against her chest by the time Steve climbed in beside her.

The truck roared to life and Barbie was thankful because it drowned out the sound of her pulse in her ears.

Little did she know the man sitting to her left was feeling the exact same way.

_**Thanks for reading! Please leave a REVIEW :-)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Where can I drop you?" he asked her.

"We're staying at The Marriot." Barbie told him as they drove through town.

In no time they'd reached the hotel, and Barbie was a little sad to see their evening end. He pulled up to the entrance, "You want me to walk you up to your room?" he asked.

_YES!_ A voice inside her screamed.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked.

"Probably not, but it would get a lot of tongues wagging." he mused.

"My point exactly." she laughed and reached for the door handle.

"No, I'll get that, hang on." he said. He put the truck in park and came around to her side.

He opened her door and she took his hand as he helped her down from the truck. Her bare feet touched the pavement, as she held her shoes in her hand. They'd become increasingly uncomfortable so she rid herself of them on the way.

She looked up into the eyes of the man standing mere inches from her.

This entire night had been a mystery, just like the man she'd spent it with.

"Thanks for dinner." she offered, not sure what else to say.

"You're welcome. I hope you had a good time."

"I did." she smiled at him and his heart did that annoying skipping a beat thing again.

He realized he was still holding her hand then, and he didn't let go. He took a step towards her and she didn't back away. It all happened so fast, and at the same time it seemed to be in slow motion.

He wrapped a big hand around the back of her neck and lowered his mouth to her's. He pressed his lips against her's in a kiss that sent shivers straight down Barbie's spine, and made heat creep up into her cheeks.

His mouth was surrounded by stubble, and Barbie found she enjoyed it. He smelled like...aftershave and beer, and like...a man. She was lost in it. All too soon he pulled away.

"Goodnight." he smiled at her as he backed away and walked around to get back in the truck.

"Goodnight," she whispered as he pulled away.

She was in a daze as the made her way to her hotel room. She tried to creep inside without waking Eve. It didn't matter thought because her best friend was laying on the bed watching tv, still awake.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"I um...I was..."

"I waited for you, and called your cell about a million times. Lucky I saw Drew leave alone or I would have been calling the police to check his trunk for your body!" she joked, but Barbie could tell she was angry!

"Well, someone asked me to dinner, and I couldn't refuse." she said.

"Why are your cheeks so red?" Eve asked.

Barbie touched her face absentmindedly, "I, uh.."

"Who did you go to dinner with?" Eve asked her best friend.

Barbie sat her stuff down and headed into the bathroom to shower, and to avoid Eve's question. An hour later when she came out Eve was sitting on the bed staring at her.

"Why are you avoiding the question? Who were you with?"

"Steve." Barbie said casually as she brushed out her long brown hair in front of the mirror.

"Steve who?" Eve asked.

"You know, Steve..." Barbie said.

"No...afriad not. Steve who?"

"Steve Austin! Okay!?" Barbie shouted as she tossed her brush down and stalked past Eve.

"Oh My Gosh! You were out with Steve Austin!?"Eve squealed as she stood frozen where she stood.

"What happened? How did it happen?" Eve demanded as she jumped up and down.

Barbie sat on the bed opposite of Eve's, "Drew was bothering me, and Steve punched him..."

"He did what?! Stone Cold punched Drew McIntyre? Wow." Eve interrupted.

"Then we went out into the parking lot and he asked if he could buy me dinner. I said yes, and now here we are." Barbie said matter-of-factly.

"So nothing else happened?"

"Nope." Barbie lied.

"I can tell you're lying you know. You're my best friend. I know these things about you." Eve said as she sat down next to Barbie.

The blonde sighed.

"Okay, when he dropped me off just now he came aound to open my door for me, and when I got out he kissed me." she rushed out the words.

"HE DID _WHAT_?!" Eve screeched as she therw her hands excitedly into the air, "He kissed you? Stone Cold Steve Austin? The toughest SOB ever to lace up a pair of boots kissed you? Wow. This is insane."

"You're tellin me!" Barbie said.

"So was it a good kiss?" Eve asked after she had calmed down.

Barbie just gave her a sideways glance and smiled.

"Oh it was. Wasn't it? Ahh!"

"Don't tell anybody, Eve. Promise me?" Barbie asked her friend.

"I promise. But what did he say after he kissed you?"

"He said goodnight and then he left." Barbie told her.

"Seriously? That's it? How mysterious." Eve commented.

"Yeah...mysterious."


	4. Chapter 4

_**I may not be continuing this story. Idk, just not feeling it anymore, but if you want more let me know. Reviews urge me to keep writing for you guys. **_

_**If no one is reading it I don't want to waste my time posting :/ feel me? **_

**Chapter 4**

A month had passed and Barbie was certain that she and Steve had just been caught up in the moment. He was riding the hight of his Hall of Fame induction, and she, well what was her excuse?

He had saved her from Drew...yeah, that was probably it.

Who was she kidding? She was completely hung up on Stone Cold Steve Austin. She had shared their encounter with her mother. Gushing all the details, and hoping for her mother to be excited with her.

What she got was just the opposite.

"Barbara, he is old enough to be your father for goodness sakes. When are you finally going to grow up and get your act together?" her mother had chastised.

For the most part she ignored she mother's comments, but there was the nagging doubt in the back of her mind...had she made a horrible mistake when she let Steve Austin kiss her?

A month with no word from the man said yes. Yes, she had made a mistake.

She had all but forgotten about her night with Stone Cold, she still went to bed most nights remembering the way his lips felt on her's, but beyond that she considered herself over it.

She kept telling herself that.

Until, one night he showed up backstage at RAW. As soon as she saw him her heart started beating fast, and her palms became sweaty. She locked herself in her dressing room until time for her match.

He never showed up, and on her way to the ring she saw him talking to a few of the older Superstars. He glanced her way, but didn't say a word to her.

He didn't even act like he knew her at all.

What a dick, she thought to herself.

She poured all of her anger and rage into her match, but she needed it because she was facing Beth. She was on fire as she went on the offensive. Her and Beth were really clicking that night, and she was proud.

h

_"And the winner of this match, Kelly Kelly!"_, Justin Roberts announced as the ref held her hand high in victory.

She and Beth hugged, and Barbie made her way to the back.

She was sweating and wiping her face and neck off with a towel as she entered her dressing room. She threw the towel on the floor, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She began stripping her ring gear off when she heard a deep voice clear their throat.

She jumped and looked around the room. She hadn't noticed the man sitting on her couchin the dark.

"Steve?" she shrieked as she flipped on the light, "What are you doing in here?"

"Stopping you from getting completely naked in front of me for starters." he said. His accent sounding as smooth as honey to her.

"Well, I'm busy...so..." she gestured to the door.

Was she giving Stone Cold the brush off? Yeah, but only because she was trying to protect her heart from falling for him further.

"Alright, if thats the way you want it." Steve Austin didn't play games, and if she said to leave he was leaving.

"Stop," she whispered, "What the hell happened between us? Why did you come here tonight? Why did you kiss me?"

She knew that if she let him walk out that door without asking, she'd regret it forever.

He stood still, and planted his hands on his hips.

"Well, I kissed ya cause I felt like it. I came here tonight to see you. Been on a movie set for the past few weeks, and couldn't get away."

He walked towards her, "As far as what happened between us. I don't have any idea. But, I'll admit I like you. I'm not the best at relationships. Just ask my ex wives."

She half smiled and he took her hands on his own, "I just wanna spend time with you, Barbie." he said honestly.

Before she could answer he pulled her in for a hug. She sighed and breathed in the smell of his shirt. He always smelled so manly. She liked that.

They stood there in eachother's arms, and suddenly the door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud thud.

"What is this?!"


	5. Chapter 5

_**I may be moving into more M rated territory with the next chapter...not sure. Let me know your opinions. Do you guys want to read about an intimate encounter between these two?**_

_**Please let me know in the REVIEW section! **_

_**Can't write it until I know what you guys want! :)**_

**Chapter 5**

**"**What is this?!"

Barbie and Steve broke apart when they heard the voice shouting. They stood with Steve's arm wrapped around her middle, their faces only inches apart, and Barbie's hands on his chest.

Drew took a few steps into the room. "Is _this_ why you've been avoiding me? You're too busy screwing this old man?"

"Get out, Drew!" Barbie yelled.

"You'll sleep with _anyone_ to get to the top, won't you?" Drew spat.

Steve didn't say a word, just walked up and punched Drew in the face, knocking him out.

"Oh my God!" Barbie yelled.

"He had it coming." Steve said quietly. He stepped out into the hall and called security. They arrived shortly and escorted Drew off the premesis.

"How'd you handle that loser when I'm not around?" Steve asked as he came back into Barbie's room and sat down on the couch.

"I tolerate him, or if it gets bad usually Hunter handles it." she said as she moved to sit down beside him.

He grabbed her around the waist instead and pulled her onto his lap.

"Now, where we?" he asked mischeiviously, and Barbie shrugged.

Steve nuzzled her neck, "Oh, I remember...saying hello properly."

He bent her head down to him, and placed a small kiss on her lips. Just enough to make her stomach flutter. She was getting in over her head here with him.

"Do you wanna go out with me tonight?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I do." she whispered back to him.

She leaned down again and kissed him. The kiss lingered until they were both out of breath.

"Lets go." he said as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her out of her room, through the halls, and out of the arena. They attracted tons of looks as they exited the building and Steve just smirked and kept walking. Barbie was a little embarassed.

She knew a lot of people were probably thinking the same thing as Drew. That she was sleeping with Stone Cold just to "get ahead" in the WWE. She wasn't. She wasn't sleeping with him period.

Although she had the feeling, or hope rather, that it would happen sooner of later. Steve wasn't like any person she'd been with before. Everything about him scream masculinity. Every ounce of him was manly, and she loved it.

She felt safer than she ever had...taken care of.

After their dinner he was driving around as they talked casually. Finally she brought up the subject she had been avoiding.

"So, are you going to disappear again any time soon?"

"No, not for a while." he told her.

She smiled in the darkness of the cab of his truck, and he reached over and grabbed her hand. His touch burned and tingled on her skin.

"I'm all yours." he said.

All hers?

She wondered what he meant by that, but didn't have time to ask. They pulled up to the hotel, and he parked and shut the truck off.

"Come here." he ordered softly.

She obeyed and scooted over in the seat.

He touched her cheek. His palm was rough, and calloused. "You're so beautiful." he whispered, "I bet you hear that all the time."

"I hear it a lot, but I've never had anyone say it the way you just said it." she whispered back, as tears stung her eyes. It seemed like Steve genuinely cared about her. That was a rare thing.

When you're as beautiful as Barbie, you learn the hard way sometimes people can't see past the beauty into the real you.

Steve used his thumb to wipe away the tear from her cheek and leaned in to press a light kiss on her lips. In the silence of the moment, Barbie could hear Steve's breathing, she could hear her own heart thudding away wildly in her chest.

She wondered if he was going to further their encounter. He seemed eager enough. As they kissed, she let loose a quiet sigh and he pulled away a few moments later.

"I think we better take it easy. I should probably just say goodnight." he said with a tinge of humor in his voice.

"I think you're right." she said as she pulled away slightly. She leaned her head over on his shoulder and exhaled.

"You know I'm leaving on the European tour tomorrow...I'll be away for two weeks." she said.

"What about after that?" he asked.

"I'll be off for four days."

"Sounds like we can catch up then." he said simply.

"I'll miss you." she admitted shyly.

"I'll miss you too." he said.

They gave eachother one last passionate kiss before Barbie hopped out of the truck and sprinted into the hotel.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks to my new reviewers, Jas and Kelli! And to the rest of my faithful reviewers!**_

_**So, I got mixed reactions to my "intimacy" question. Most of you wanted me to write about it, so that's what I'm going to be doing. It won't be smutty or nasty, or perverted, but this story will change to an M rating when its time. I'll let you know a chapter ahead.**_

_**So use that "Follow" button to be alerted of when I update.**_

_**For everyone that didn't want to read about their encounter I promise to be tasteful, and please continue loving the story!**_

_**Okay...on with it!**_

**Chapter 6**

Barbie had a lot on her mind during her two weeks overseas. This thing, whatever it was with Steve had her mind completely distracted. She had a LIVE match tonight with Michelle, and she was trying to get her head in the game.

The British crowd was fired up tonight, and she ran to the ring, slapping fan's hands on the way down. She posed on the turnbuckle, and pointed to several fans holding Kelly Kelly signs.

Michelle came down to the ring, the bell rang and they began their match.

Barbie loved working with Michelle, she had taught her so much. It was rather easy to get herself in the zone once the match started. Michelle sent her flying across the ring into the corner, and charged at her.

Barbie countered by swiftly moving out of the way. They went back and forth like this for around fifteen minutes until finally Michelle got the upperhand, and defeated Kelly with the Faithbreaker.

As Michelle was posing, and getting her hand raised as the winner, Barbie tried to quietly exit the ring. She slipped through the ropes and jumped off the apron, but something went wrong.

As soon as her feet hit the floor her knee buckled and she hit the ground, hard.

She screamed in pain, and the ref signaled for the trainers to come have a look at her.

"Can you walk? What happened?" they asked.

"I don't know what happened...I think I can walk. Just help me up." she said.

A ref slipped his arm around her waist, and hauled her to her feet. He tried to help her take a step, but she faultered and he caught her. The trainer came around and took off her knee pad.

Revealing that her right knee was already beginning to swell.

"You aren't walking anywhere without help, Barbie." he told her.

She leaned on the ref as he helped her limp backstage. He took her to the trainer's room to get checked out.

"Have you had knee pain recently?" one of the docs asked.

Barbie bit her lip, "A little. Nothing too bad."

"You should have come and had it checked out, Barb. You have fluid on your knee. You've worked with it like that for too long, and now it's worse than it probably ever was..."

She sighed. "So what does this mean?"

Just then Hunter came into the room, "What's the diagnosis, Doc?" he asked.

He was filled in on Barbie's condition, and he put a hand on her shoulder, "Go home, Barbie."

"But-" she began.

"No buts. Go home and get better." he said before leaving her alone with the doc and her swollen knee.

"You need to go see the guys at home, they'll have to draw this fluid out." he told her.

"Like with a needle?" she asked. It was girly, but she was terrified of needles.

"Yeah..."

She didn't want to do this. Being sidelined with an injury was the worst possible thing she could think of. That night she texted Steve and told him about her injury and that she would be arriving home early from the tour.

The next day she was on a flight home to Florida with her knee in a brace.

She had an appointment with the WWE doctors the next day, and she couldn't wait for the plane to land so she could just go home and relax.

She walked through the door and dropped her bags on the floor. She shut the door behind her and walked upstairs leaving a trail of clothing as she went. She took some ibuprofen and ran her self a hot bath.

She took off the brace, and lowered herself into the steaming hot water. She winced as the water surrounded her knee. She tried to relax her muscles, and soon the pain medicine kicked in and the pain in her knee was tolerable.

An hour later when she was drying off, and wrapping a robe around her body she heard the doorbell ring. She limped to the door and opened it.

"Steve?"

There stood Steve Austin with a large brown paper bag in one hand, and a duffel bag in the other.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as a smile spread across her face.

"Came to play nurse." he quipped as he stepped around her and let himself in, "Nice place. Kitchen?" he asked as he dropped his bag beside hers on the floor.

She pointed in the direction of the kitchen and followed him in. He opened her refrigerator and started emptying the contents of the paper bag. When he finished he stood in front of the fridge and sighed while he looked her over.

The distance was killing her and she hobbled her way over to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, and laid her head on his chest. He in turn, wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled her close.

"I missed you." she said.

"Did you?" he teased. He moved his hands to her hips and before she could realize what was happening, he lifted her in the air and sat her on the island behind them.

"Let's have a look at that knee." he said. He wrapped one hand around the back of her knee, and the other around her ankle for support as he examined the damage.

"Nasty." he commented and she nodded in agreement.

He turned his attention to her face. Somehow Barbie always wound up feeling shy around him, and nervous. Maybe it was because he was so much older, or maybe it was just the larger than life persona she had grown up watching. She wasn't sure.

All she knew was that her breath caught in her throat whenever he looked at her like that.

Like he was going to kiss her.

Like he was going to enjoy it.

He placed his hands on the counter on either side of her, and turned his face up to her.

"You gonna meet me half way?" he asked.

And thats exactly what she did. It seemed so right whenever their lips touched. The kiss was amazing, but chaste and when they broke apart she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you going with me to the doctor tomorrow?" she asked.

"Darlin, that's why I'm here." he placed a kiss on her cheek before lifting her down from the island carefully.

She watched him walk into the living room. He seemed so larger than life in her home, but she didn't want him to ever leave.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Barbie wakes early the next morning. Her appointment is at nine, and she needs to take a shower and get ready. She walks downstairs to find Steve asleep on the couch. He slept there last night, and nothing happened between them. He was a perfect gentleman.

She was hobbling out of the bathroom from her shower when she bumped into something tall.

And solid.

And...shirtless.

Steve.

"Mornin'." he said huskily as he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek, "Mmm, you smell good." he whispered in her ear.

His voice, and the feel of his stubble against her cheek was causing butterflies to fly about in Barbie's stomach.

"Morning." she chirped. Her voice sounded so high pitched compared to his.

She limped into her bedroom, and he followed closely behind. Steve stood in the door, leaning his hip against the frame and crossing his powerful arms over his chest.

"Got time for breakfast?" he asked as she walked into her closet.

"Yeah, I could eat." she called out to him.

By the time she dressed herself, and dried her hair she could smell the aroma of food wafting up the stairs.

"Steve?" she called down to him. A few moments later he appeared dressed in a black t-shirt and tan cargo shorts.

"I need a little help today..."

The size of her knee had almost doubled since last night, and she could barely walk.

"Sure, be right there. Let me turn the stove off."

Moments later he was jogging up the steps, and lifting her into his arms.

"Are you sure this isn't too much on your back?" Barbie asked as he carried her down the steps to the lower lever of her home.

"You weigh like sixteen pounds." he told her as he put her carefully on her feet again.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, "Thank you."

"Mmm, you're welcome." he whispered hoarsly in her ear as he pressed their bodies together.

If he was going to keep doing that there was no way she would be able to focus on anything, like ever again! She needed to clear her head. She reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of ice cold water. She pressed it to her knee before taking the lid off and downing a few gulps.

She ate her food slowly. With the butterflies from Steve's sexiness, and her nerves about the doctor the last thing she needed was to eat too fast and get sick. When they finished eating Steve put their dishes in the sink, and they took her car to the doctor's office.

She had to laugh at Steve behind the wheel of her Mercedes couppe. She snapped a picture with her iPhone without him knowing.

He held her hand as they waited for the doctor to call her back to be examined. Nervous didn't begin to describe the way she felt. She hated needles, and even the thought of one made her dizzy.

Somehow, Steve seemed to notice her discomfort and squeezed her hand.

"Hey, everything is gonna be fine." he told her.

She gave him a weak smile.

Soon, the doctor called them back, and as they were getting ready to put the needle in Barbie grabbed Steve's hand. He wrapped one large arm around her, and held her close as they began the procedure.

Barbie tried to take deep breaths. Even thought the area they were working on was numb, still the thought of what was happening was making her queasy. She was so thankful she had Steve there with her.

She had never met anyone so nice, so compassionate, and caring as him. She never imagined Stone Cold Steve Austin would be this way. She was glad appearences were deceiving. When they were finished drawing the fluid off her knee they let her rest for a few minutes before releasing her.

It was around one in the afternoon when they got back to her house, and Steve carried her inside.

"You can put me down, you know." she said to him as he began packing up her the stairs Bridal style.

He ignored her and carried her straight into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, turned on the tv, and handed her the remote.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he shut the light off, and then joined her on the bed.

"_We _are going to relax, do nothing and stay in bed and watch television for the rest of the day." he said simply as he pulled her head over to his chest.

"What about if we get hungry?" she asked.

"We'll order pizza." he said simply.

"Pizza?" she asked, "So not only am I unable to work out until this heals, you're also trying to get me fat by eating pizza?" she smiled at him.

"Shut up." he said playfully as he pressed a light kiss her her lips.

They settled on a black and white movie that niether of them had ever seen before. They lay with a pillow propped under Barbie's knee and the rest of her body pressed to the side of Steve.

Nothing had ever felt better to him as he lay comfortably in bed with Barbie, her small body close to him, the smell of her hair almost intoxicating, and her head on his chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Barbie woke the next morning to find Steve wasn't in her bed. He had held her until she fell asleep the night before, and she just thought he'd still be there when she woke up. But, once again he was asleep on the couch.

She got herself out of bed, and hobbled into the bathroom. She decided she was still tired, and her knee was killing her so she just went back to bed. About an hour later she heard heavy footsteps ascending the stairs.

She kept her eyes closed when she heard Steve enter her room. She felt the weight of his body as he climbed into bed beside her.

"You awake?" he said. His voice was so gruff in the mornings, even more so than usual. She loved it.

"Yeah," she answered.

She rolled over and looked at him, but winced as her knee throbbed.

"I just want this to heal." she said.

"You shouldn't have kept wrestling on it when you knew something was wrong." he chided her.

She didn't answer, but gave him a dirty look and watched him smile at her attempt to be mean.

He pulled her to him, chest to chest, and Barbie blushed when she realized he was shirtless. It was the first time she'd made contact with his bare chest. She hoped he didn't notice her red cheeks.

Of course, she had been with her fair share of men. Not like a lot, but enough not to be embarrassed about touching a man's bare chest. But, there was something different about Steve.

She still couldn't put her finger on what it was...

He just wasn't like all the rest.

Barbie had no ieda why he was interested in her, and a part of her didn't care.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking care of me. That's- no one has ever...No one has ever cared that much about me before." she said.

He smoothed a hand over her blonde hair before cupping her cheek.

"Well, you must know a lot of idiots."

Barbie sat up against the headboard, "Seriously, Steve you have no idea." she laughed.

Over the course of the next few days Barbie's knee began to heal, and Steve helped her with some physical therapy, and doing a little bit of training. The tenderness he had with her almost took her breath away.

He was totally attentive to her needs. He didn't push her too far, but urged her to push herself. They'd work until she got too tired, or her knee needing resting, and then they would go lay down and watch tv.

It had been two weeks since they pulled the fluid off of her knee, and everything looked good at her checkup. She still wasn't cleared to wrestle yet, so she and Steve kept up the training. Steve suggested they try the pool to help her knee become mobile, and flexible again.

She appeared poolside in her navy blue bikini, and as she caught sight of Steve in his trunks she lost her breath. Little did she know he did the same thing the moment he laid eyes on her.

As they got in the water they stuck to the shallow end, and Steve wrapped his big hands gently around Barbie's leg and helped her through her exercises. She could hardly concentrate on what she was doing with Steve this close.

Her arm was draped across his shoulders, and their bodies were pushed against eachother in the water. She wondered if Steve was having the same sort of difficulty she was. He seemed better at keeping his emotions under control than her.

The attraction she felt for this man was unlike anything she'd ever known. He was the kindest, most compassionate person she'd ever met. And on top of all that he wasn't afraid to punch someone's lights out, which she loved about him!

In the weeks that he'd been in her home all they'd done is kiss, and she was fine with that. He was the best man, a gentleman. But she longed for more. She wanted to know what it was like to touch him, to touch him and not stop until they were both satisfied. To really feel him, to be one with him.

To know his soul.

She knew she was falling for him, falling so deep in love with him.

_**Hey readers! **_

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_**The next time I update, this story will be rated M.**_

_**So if you search for it, remember M rated stories are not shown in the general search. You have to search specifically for M rated.**_

_**Thank you!**_

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	9. Chapter 9

**Okay guys, I know I said this would be M rated, but I didn't want to change the rating of the whole story for one chapter so I decided to keep it T. **

**This is the final chapter! Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 9**

A few more days passed by, and Barbie's knee was doing a lot better. It was practically healed, and she was cleared to go back to work in another week. She felt her time with Steve was all too quickly coming to an end.

He made a promise they'd be together, but they both knew the difficulties of being involved with someone who traveled. So she treasured every moment with him. Despite the fact he'd been in her home for three weeks, still he slept every night on the couch, and they never took their relationship to the next level.

Barbie was standing in the kitchen doing the dishes from last night's dinner when Steve walked up behind her, and slid his arms around her middle. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning her around in his arms.

"I have some bad news." he said.'

"What is it?" she asked as she dried her hands on a dish towel.

"I'm going to have to go back to Texas, tomorrow."

"What?! Why?"

"Well, it seems they had a break in at the ranch, and they need me to go over what was stolen."

"Oh my!" Barbie gasped, "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, but some pretty valuable things were taken...including some guns. That's why I really need to leave as soon as possible. And since you're going back to work next week I'll probably just stay there. You come to Texas with RAW in two weeks anyway..."

Barbie took in this information. As much as she hated to admit it, Steve was right. She would be in Texas in two weeks, and they would be able to see eachother.

"Okay." she sighed, "So...this is our last night together for a while."

"Yeah.." he mumbled against her hair.

"Steve-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Shh.." he told her as he smoothed her hair away from her face and looked deep into her eyes.

He led her by the hand up the stairs to her bedroom. They stood beside the bed and Steve slowly ran his hands over her body, stopping to press a few light kisses to her neck, her knuckles, and her forehead along the way.

The sun was setting, and the natural light of the evening was the only illumination in the room.

Barbie ran her hands under Steve's shirt, and pulled it over his head. She admired his body, and feathered kisses over his chest. He groaned, and pulled her face up to him.

"I love you, Barbie." his accent thicker than usual as he whispered the words to her.

She pressed her lips to his, "I love you, too." she whispered when she pulled away.

Steve laid her down gently on the bed, and began kissing her passionately. Both their bodies were responding to eachother, and Barbie knew this was the night.

There was no turning back.

Steve knew they were both ready to go to the next level. He'd surpressed his need for her for far too long out of respect for her, but he knew she was ready.

He'd just told her he loved her, and now he intended to show her just how much...

_Three Weeks Later_

After their last night together Barbie was more than anxious to see her boyfriend again. She had missed him terribly, and he had missed her just as much, if not more.

She was in her dressing room trying to get her ring gear on, she was cursing at one of her knee pads when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Anything I can help with?" It was the southern drawl of her man.

She let out a loud squeal before running to him and thrusting herself up in his arms. The boquet of roses he had for her fell to the floor as he caught her up in his arms.

He smashed their lips together in a furious and long overdue kiss.

"I love you so much! I've missed you like crazy!" Barbie declared in between kisses.

"Me too." He sat her down on her feet.

"Listen, there's something I wanna ask..." he said as he eyed her carefully.

Barbie's heart sped up.

"Do you wanna move in with me?" he asked.

That wasn't the question she thought he was going to ask, and she was releived.

"Oh goodness, Steve! I thought you were about to ask me to marry you!"

"Marry me? No! Geez, I'm not ready to get married again...honestly I don't know if I ever will be. We have forever to figure out if we want to get married, but I do know that I can't stand being away from you like that again. So...what do you say? Wanna move to Texas?" he asked.

She smiled, and wrapped her arms around his neck, "HELL YEAH!"


End file.
